Ensemble ACJW

The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education

Few composers have presented as radically new an idea as Arnold Schoenberg did with his development of the 12-tone method of composition, which was a turning point in 20th-century music. And yet, the forward-thinking composer also created some beautifully lush chamber works, Verklärte Nacht being the most noted and popular. Ensemble ACJW interprets this chamber gem, a testament to the transfiguring power of love, on a program that also includes works by two other acclaimed Austrian composers: Mozart and Georg Friedrich Haas.

This concert is part of Salon Encores. The contemporary work on this program is part of My Time, My Music.

Program

Event Duration

The printed program will last approximately 90 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission.

Bios

Ensemble ACJW

Created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson and The
Juilliard School's President Joseph W. Polisi, Ensemble ACJW is an inspirational collective
of young professional musicians who are fellows in a two-year program that supports them in
building careers as top-quality performers, innovative programmers, and dedicated teachers
who fully engage with the communities in which they live and work.

Ensemble ACJW fellows-chosen for their musicianship, but also for their leadership
qualities and commitment to music education-come from some of the best music schools in the
country, including The Colburn School, Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, New
England Conservatory, Rice University, University of Southern California, and Yale School
of Music.

Ensemble ACJW has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for the quality of
its performances as well as its fresh and open-minded approach, performing a
wide range of music-from centuries past to works written days before an event-in a variety
of performance venues. The group performs its own series at Carnegie Hall and has regularly
appeared at The Juilliard School's Paul Hall and other venues throughout New York City,
including (Le) Poisson Rouge nightclub in Greenwich Village, Subculture in NoHo, and
Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. As part of a partnership with Skidmore College that began
in 2007, Ensemble ACJW gives master classes for university students and performs for the
Saratoga Springs community in both concert halls and in informal settings around
town.

Along with performance opportunities at premier venues in New York City and beyond,
Ensemble ACJW fellows each partner with a New York City public school to share their
artistry with-and become central resources for-music classrooms in the five boroughs.
Ensemble ACJW fellows also take part in community work through the Weill Music
Institute's Musical Connections program, in which they perform at multiple non-traditional
music venues across New York City, including healthcare settings, correctional facilities,
and senior-service organizations. Throughout the two-year program, Ensemble ACJW fellows
participate in rigorous, ongoing professional development to ensure that they gain the
necessary skills to be successful in all areas of the program and to become leaders in
their field. Areas of emphasis include artistic excellence, engagement strategies on and
off the stage, advocacy, professional skills, and preparation for their in-school
work.

Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and advocates for music throughout the
community, the forward-looking musicians of Ensemble ACJW are redefining what it means to
be a musician in the 21st century. Visit acjw.org to learn more.

Audio

Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht (Sehr breit und langsam)

Juilliard String Quartet | Yo-Yo Ma, Cello

Sony

At a Glance

In this evening's program, Ensemble ACJW samples the diverse kaleidoscope of Austrian chamber music. From the 18th century to present day, each piece and composer on tonight's program has some distinct tie to Vienna, a significant cultural capital of Europe.

For Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, his arrival in Vienna represented his departure from work as a court musician, granting him the artistic liberty to compose many of his great works. He spent the last 10 years of his life in Vienna, and it was during this time that he composed his Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat Major, K. 452. Considered by Mozart himself to be the best piece he had ever written, it is a masterpiece of the chamber-music literature that perfectly balances the roles of the wind instruments and piano.

Shifting gears to the 21st century, Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas has both studied and worked in present-day Vienna. His new work Anachronism receives its New York premiere this evening.

Finishing the program is a work that straddles the styles of the 19th and 20th centuries. Arnold Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht was not positively received when it premiered in Vienna in 1902—in fact, the Musikverein outright rejected the work due to its uncatalogued dissonances. Despite the initial reaction, the piece became one of the composer's most popular works.

Watch

Lead support for Carnegie Hall commissions is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Lead funding for Vienna: City of Dreams is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Lead funding for Ensemble ACJW is provided by the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund.

Major funding has been provided by The Diller–von Furstenberg Family Foundation, Susan and Edward C. Forst and Goldman Sachs Gives, the Max H. Gluck Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr.

Additional support has been provided by Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari, The Edwin Caplin Foundation, Leslie and Tom Maheras, Phyllis and Charles Rosenthal, and Park Hyatt hotels.

Public support is provided, in part, by the New York City Department of Education.